NCJ Number
57702
Journal
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology Volume: 47 Issue: 2 Dated: (APRIL 1979) Pages: 234-242
Date Published
1979
Length
9 pages
Annotation
TO CROSS-VALIDATE THE MEGARGEE MINNESOTA MULTIPHASIC PERSONALITY INVENTORY (MMPI) TYPOLOGY FOR PRISONERS, TWO SAMPLES CONSISTING OF 3,518 FEDERAL AND STATE INMATES WERE STUDIED FOR THIS ARTICLE.
Abstract
THE QUESTION OF WHETHER THE MEGARGEE TYPOLOGY IS A VALID GENERALIZABLE SYSTEM USABLE IN OTHER PRISONS WAS EXAMINED. TWO SAMPLES OF PRISONERS WERE USED FOR THIS STUDY. ONE SAMPLE CONSISTED OF 2,063 INMATES INCARCERATED AT THE PETERSBURG PRISON PRIOR TO JUNE 30, 1976. THE SECOND SAMPLE CONSISTED OF 1,455 INMATES (164 FEMALES AND 1,291 MALES) DRAWN RANDOMLY FROM THE POPULATION OF PRISONERS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE RECENT ALABAMA PRISONER RECLASSIFICATION PROJECT. THE FEDERAL INSTITUTION'S SAMPLE WAS DRAWN FROM THOSE INMATES WHO HAD BEEN GIVEN AN MMPI ON THEIR ADMISSION. THE STATE INSITUTION'S SAMPLE WAS OBTAINED WITH THE COOPERATION OF THE RESEARCH DIRECTORS OF THE RECLASSIFICATION PROJECT. THE MMPI VALIDITY AND CLINICAL T- SCORES OF ALL SUBJECTS WERE TRANSFERRED TO COMPUTER CARDS, AND ADDITIONAL DEMOGRAPHIC DATA AND INSTITUTIONAL INFRACTIONS DATA WERE OBTAINED. IN USING THE COMPUTER TYPING PROCEDURE, 85.5 OF THE FEDERAL SAMPLE, 86.1 PERCENT OF THE STATE MALE SAMPLE AND 87.2 PERCENT OF THE STATE FEMALE SAMPLE WERE CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO THE TEN MEGARGEE'S PROFILE TYPES. THE TWO MALE SAMPLES CLOSELY RESEMBLED THE PROFILE PATTERNS AND T-SCORE MAGNITUDES REPORTED BY MAGARGEE AND DORHOUT (1977). GREATER DIFFERENCES, HOWEVER, WERE NOTED BETWEEN THE FEMALE SAMPLE AND MEGARGEE AND DORHOUT'S FEMALE SAMPLE. NEVERTHELESS, THE MERGAREE TYPOLOGY IS APPLICABLE TO BOTH FEDERAL AND STATE OFFENDERS. FURTHER RESEARCH IS NEEDED INTO THE DEMOGRAPHIC AND BEHAVIORAL CHARACTERISTICS OF STATE PRISONER TYPES. STATISTICAL TABLES AND REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (KCP)